Clash of Shadows
Clash of Shadows is the first story out of a short series I intend to write in the future, this is a current preview and will be the host of future installments of the story. Written By *User:BionicalSpork Prologue The room was a void of darkness as shadows stirred around the circle of light that was the candle. Nothing dared break the looming silence that dwelt in the shrouding shadows of the room, as if beyond the candle there was nothing, not even sound. Slowly the small light source began to fade just as it always did. The candle was at its end. The shadows danced in loops as the candle dwindled and died. The darkness with greed consumed the candle, once more ending what little life had grown from the light source, forcing the room to damnation in the shadowed hell that was always and forever the enemy of light. Kanto woke to silence. The darkness around him so thick it felt as if he was blind. Nothing but the bed beneath him stimulated his senses. Like usual his dreams had awoken him. Kanto was prone to nightmares, all of which followed the same pattern, a room starved of light, with darkness eating away at it. Ever since he could remember these fantasies stalked his mind at night, so long in fact had these terrors known him he could scarcely think of a night when one hadn’t paid him a visit. One would think that he would adjust, and grow desensitised to the sights he had known for so long. But truth be told, Kanto was as scared as ever of the night terrors that knew him all too well. This night however was different. Never before had the candle died in his dream. The darkness had always fought it. The shadow would dance as it slowly coiled around the flame, as if to asphyxiate it. This was different, but what did it mean? Kanto lifted himself from his muddled bed, ever aware that it was darkness still that surrounded him. Step by step he took himself to his door, the entrance of his hut. The shadows flew away as Kanto walked through, letting moonlight frighten away what little it could of the darkness that dwelt within his home. The moon seemed to smile on him as he took his steps from the doorway and out into the village. Often a walk extinguished the foul dreams from his mind, but not this night. This night Kanto would wonder until the passing of dawn and the rising of the sun. If anyone asked how he had slept Kanto would act as if nothing was different. He would lie to them and tell them he slept well, me might even tell a false tale as to what he dreamed of. Very few knew of Kanto’s nightmares and he intended to keep it so. Who knew what others may think of him if he told them he only slept a full night once a turn, and every other night his mind was stirred by fictional evil. No, it was better left alone. Besides, what could come of dreams? Chapter 1 The morning’s raise gleamed off the pine needle’s dampened surface just as flame might dance around a campfire. The night had been a cold one; an early winter was to be expected when already autumn saw the forming of ice and snow. Neipu had no time to worry of a cold few months however, in time she would help her village in the preparations for the changing weather, currently though it was her brother she needed to speak with. Benogu and Neipu had known each other like a plant knew its stem or like the ocean knew the waves, one seemingly couldn’t exist without the other. Alongside their other Toa brothers the two of them seemed inseparable, even before their other Toa siblings began to vanish the two of them were close. Water and earth seemed a strange combination when you think about it, but it never bothered the two of them. Those times though were long since passed, and no quantity of grieving or fretting could return them. Benogu was lost to her and had been for many years now, she only hoped he would listen to what she had to say. Neipu’s night’s rest was little more than a glorified nap, consisting of nothing more than two hours of lying on cold earth with nothing but a thin mat rolled out beneath her. This night alone hadn’t affect her constitution, but several more of them might be pushing the boundaries of what her body would accept. Luckily for Neipu she expected to reach her brother before the next night fell. That was something she was very grateful of, despite the chilly reception she anticipated once she got there. A trip back to the water villages would take several days from where she was now, and Neipu doubted she could handle the trek back after the journey she had received already. It was pure and simple, she couldn’t return without speaking to Benogu, not after coming so far. Her only other option for destination was her other brother, and she doubted she would even find him amidst what he now called home. If anyone wanted to speak to her less than Benogu it would be him. Neipu pulled herself up from the ground where she had lain for coldest of the night, her joints sore from her journey so far. The ground was still sprinkled with a light layer of hoarfrost, which crunched softly as Neipu trod on it. Any frost in the trees above them had already began to melt, leaving a sparkling series of water droplets in the bundled pine needles, just above Neipu’s head. Neipu dropped her sleeping mat over the saddle of the beast she had taken along to aid her in the journey, the sudden thump of sound sending several small rahi scampering away into the thick woods. The mountainous paths one needed to pass to reach the last few villages of earth were treacherous for the most skilled of climbers, and despite being a Toa, Neipu understood she wouldn’t have been able to get as far as she had without the large ussal crab given to her to aid her on the journey. Neipu untethered the creature from its resting place and climbed atop it, ready for another day of riding. The crab seemed to understand what was asked of it, and continued where it had left off the day before. The ussal crab had been bred to walk these paths, and showed no sign of fatigue as of yet to indicate the long walk it had taken with a Toa on its back. Neipu however was not built for these conditions. As she watched the mountain trees pass by her as she and her mount continued across the empty paths she slowly began to drift into a daydream. As the crab gradually took her closer to the brother she had once known so well so too did Neipu drift off into her memories. When she arrived she had much she wished to say to her brother. Chapter 2 Due next week. Chapter 3 Due the week after next. Aditional Information As you can see I haven't added too much to the story yet for several reasons. As these are my first steps into publishing a story on Custom Bionicle Wiki I don't already have my own storyline/reality to add on to, and starting a whole new one when other user's storylines are 100x larger than what I have is daunting to say the least. At the moment I am looking for permission to begin my story as a small detatchment from someone else's large and no doubt impressive existing work. Until then this will be a weekly thing which I update with one chapter a week. If you think I this could be the distant cousin of your own storyline give me a message. Until then I will let this grow.